SHAME On Del Taco!

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday, I was out and about with my two daughters, mid-afternoon, and they had the after-school munchies, so we stopped at the first fast-food haunt we saw – Del Taco. We order, pay, and drive off. Ten seconds later, my 11-year-old in the back seat asks, “Mom, what does ‘I bagged a hottie’ mean?”

Come again, sweet little girl who shouldn’t be saying such things?!

She handed me the bag that contained all our food, and printed in BIG, bold letters on the Del Taco bag, it said, “I bagged a hottie.” Oh . . . I get it. Del Taco must have just launched a new advertising campaign. Well, aren’t they clever?? I was so impressed by their wit. My daughters and I laughed all the way home.

Um, I don't think so.

What is wrong with you, Del Taco?! Are you telling me that there is not ONE parent in corporate headquarters or at that thoughtless advertising agency that came up with this campaign who might have thought: “Hmmmm . . . maybe this campaign isn’t real appropriate for families who have young children.”

Unless your marketing department decided that hungry mothers and children aren’t in your target demographic group, then you have made a huge mistake taking this recent ad campaign of yours public.

Imagine how uncomfortable I felt, as a mom, trying to explain to my daughter what “bagging a hottie” meant. What’s next, “Eat My Taco”? Or “Lick My Hot Sauce.” Or perhaps you might consider selling hot dogs so you can emblazon your bags and wrappers with, “Grab A Weenie.”

I am pleading with all moms in the blogosphere to put pressure on Del Taco to yank this shameful ad campaign and put every single brown paper bag printed with “I Bagged A Hottie” right where they belong . . . in the trash!

And they may want to dispose of their advertising agency while they’re at it, too.

Not Alone In My Madness

Image via Wikipedia Now that I'm done whining about a few things, I think it's time I started enlightening you. Offer up some real-world advice for raising kids in this tech-savvy, cyber-obsessed world that, unfortunately on so many counts, is here to stay. I'm not adopting an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. It's more of an "if you can't beat 'em, stay way ahead of 'em" philosophy.

I've stumbled on a few sites out there that you parents will find very helpful. Sites that can help parents guide their children safely through this age of social, interactive media. First off, check out connectsafely.org (http://www.connectsafely.org/). This site was started by the authors of "MySpace Unraveled: What it is and how to use it safely." You'll find tons of tips and advice on how to help your kids navigate safely through the Web and how to engage in safe social networking. Like these:


* Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations. Pulling the plug on your child’s favorite social site is like pulling the plug on his or her social life. Instead of being protective, it can shut down communication and send kids "underground" where they're more at risk. It's too easy for them to set up free blogs and profiles from anywhere, including friends' houses or even a cell phone.

* Talk with your kids about how they use the services. They, not news reports or even experts, are the ones to consult about their social-Web experience. Help them understand basic safety guidelines, such as protecting their privacy (including passwords), not harassing peers, never talking about sex with people they don't know, avoiding in-person meetings with people they "meet" online, and taking care in what they post - because anything people put online can be grabbed, reworked, and used against them.

* Support critical thinking and civil behavior because no laws or parental-control software can protect better than a child's developing good sense about safety and relationships. Research shows that kids who are aggressive and mean online toward peers or strangers are at greater risk of becoming victims themselves. So teach them to be good citizens and friends online as much as offline.

* Consider requiring Internet use in a high-traffic place in your home - not in kids' rooms - to help you stay aware of their online time. This way, you can encourage a balance between online time and their offline academic, sports, and social times. Know that there are also many ways kids can access the Internet away from home, including on many mobile phones and game players.

* Try to get your kids to share their profiles and blogs with you, but be aware that they can have multiple accounts on multiple services. Use search engines and the search tools on social-networking sites to search for your kids' full names, phone numbers and other identifying information. You're not invading their privacy if they're putting personal info in public "places" online. If their pages are private, that's a good thing, but it's even better if they share it with you.


© 2008 ConnectSafely.org